The New York Mets can’t seem to get any injury-related good news this week. At least ace Jacob deGrom returned this week and reported no setbacks following a win against the Colorado Rockies, because everybody else on the roster seems to be falling apart.
After revealing that Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil’s hamstring strains, plus Carlos Carrasco’s hamstring tear, will keep them all sidelined until at least late June, the Mets updated pitcher Noah Syndergaard’s status after he left his rehab start this week in Low-A St. Lucie after just one inning.
Syndergaard reported discomfort in his right elbow, which was surgically repaired last year (Tommy John reconstruction). The plan was for him to throw four or five innings in the start, but was removed after one as he didn’t want to take any chances.
The Mets are shutting him down for a month and a half
The Mets, as a result, are reportedly shutting him down for six more weeks, in which Syndergaard will not be able to throw. The good news is that an MRI showed no structural damage, which qualifies as a positive development since he has a chance to pitch this year.
To contextualize the next steps for the Mets’ righty, he will not be allowed to even throw a baseball until after the All-Star break. After that, he may start ramping up again to see how his elbow responds.
Mets’ manager Luis Rojas said on Thursday that the team is ‘praying’ that Syndergaard is able to pitch this season. If not, then Thor may have already thrown his last pitch as a member of the Mets, since he is scheduled to become a free agent after the season.
The Mets’ rotation is currently in shambles, as Taijuan Walker, Syndergaard, and Carrasco are on the shelf. As far as position players go, the situation is even worse, with McNeil, Conforto, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, JD Davis, Dominic Smith, Kevin Pillar, Albert Almora Jr., and other key performers currently sidelined.